An attempt that could have forced the Iowa Senate to vote on restrictions for the proposed carbon pipeline has failed.
During consideration of the Senate’s operating rules, Democratic Senator Tony Bisignano proposed a route for bringing a bill up for debate.
“It’s time to have the debate on the pipeline or eminent domain or property rights or whatever you want to call it,” Bisignano said. “it’s time to have that debate for Iowans.”
Bisignano, who is from Des Moines, challenged Republicans in the senate who want to ban the use of eminent domain for the pipeline to support his plan.
“These people are your constituents. I can’t imagine having my constituents out in that rotunda, day after day, month after month, year after year and ignore them,” Bisignano said. “I’ve never probably heard more desperation from some of these farmers, century farmers talking about their property being taken, tears in their eyes. You can tell they’ve been stressed for years.”
Four Republican senators joined 14 Democrats to support the move, but the group was voted down by 30 Republicans. Senator Mike Klimish, a Republican from Spillville, successfully led the GOP opposition to Bisignano’s plan.
“We hear a lot about rights,” Klemish said. “The rights of the voters that voted us into this chamber to take control of this chamber and make sure that Iowans are represented by Republican values and principles would be undermined by this.”
It’s been 14 years since the senate had this kind of a showdown about forcing a vote on a bill. Democrats, who were in the majority in 2011, voted down a GOP senator’s attempt to force a vote on a bill to ban same-sex marriage.